End of the year lookback

"Know that there is no death, that all life is indivisible, that the here and the hereafter are one, that time and eternity are inseparable, that this is one unobstructed universe. We are citizens of eternity."

For anyone who knows me, it can be safely said that I have a tendency to get wrapped up in details and have trouble seeing the big picture many times.

Who knows why this last year was so hard? Who knows why our heat keeps breaking or why its so cold in Boulder this week? Who knows why I failed my test or why I just don't seem to be able to get away from my current job situation?

I find that I take solice in the idea that I'm part of a bigger picture. A beautiful addition to the painting... or a crucial, if in my own way, part of the puzzle.

Simple pleasures, such as watching a Hockey game with friends. An occasional beer with dinner. The hug of a loved one. Or even toasting the new year with mini champagne bottles. We actually had fun tonight with our champagne bottles in "mini buckets" (they were actually glasses with ice that we set them in).

Goodbye 2010! You were a good year, in your own way... full of trials and tribulations, but also full of triumphs and successes... questions and answers... and more babies than you can shake a rattle at. I know of about five babies born this last month and two more people that are freshly pregnant.

I guess my point is that there are always ups and downs in this crazy old world. But its okay, really. Things even out in the long run and many times things work out for the best in the end.

Snow, LLCs and the Psychology of Positive

"Take the best into your mind and only that. Nurture it, concentrate on it, visualize it, prayerize it, surround it with faith. Make it your obsession. Spiritually creative mind power aided by god power will produce the best."
-Positive Thinking Every Day by Norman Vincent Peale

Its finally snowing in Boulder. But not just snowing, its been snowing quite heavily for most of the day. Tonight its forecasted to be around 3 degrees below zero. It is really beautiful outside, actually. Its kind of like a frosted paradise.

I'm always struck by the simple beauty of the falling flakes. Downy fluff falling from the heavens to blanket the world with a deep stillness. It feels like nature is breathing deep, on the verge of sleeping for a good long while. A soft, cold sleep til spring.

Unfortunately, until about 14 hours ago, that was not the case. Its been unseasonably warm lately. In fact, the day after Christmas, I actually saw someone swimming in an outdoor pool in town. But its snowing now, and mother nature seems to be trying to make up for time lost. It is gorgeous outside, despite the road conditions. :D

Ah... cue the music and enjoy the snow!
Florence and the Machine: Dog Days are Over!

During a slower time at work today, I was searching around on the internet for possible names for a mobile spa business. I finally stumbled on a good name for my business: Goddess to go, LLC or, on promotional material it will be: Goddess to go! A mobile spa

Needless to say, I'm pretty happy with myself today. Its pretty easy to register an LLC for Colorado online. Exciting stuff, actually. Naturally, I won't launch the actual business until I'm legally able to practice Cosmetology. But at least now I have the business registered and named. Good stuff.

Now, a word on todays positivity. Let in the good! Its working... amazing as it sounds, making sure that you think positive and look to the good in every day that good things start coming out. I actually surprised myself today by complementing something in my life that I generally put down and denigrate.

Actually... I did that twice in the same conversation and before that, I was doing that with a coworker as well. Amazing things are happening to my blood pressure and the knot in my stomach is slowly starting to unwind.

There is a definite change for the better. Its much like a winter in my heart at the moment. Deep, still, quiet and cool. There is potential for great beauty and vibrant, colorful beauty. Its there, under a thick blanket of freshly fallen snow.

But spring is coming... I can feel it in my roots

Uplifting exercise

"Never think down - always think up!"
-Positive Thinking Every Day by Norman Vincent Peale

Last night, after dinner and blogging, I went for a jog. Bundled in two shirts, two light 'workout' jackets, a big scarf, hat and gloves, and with my new sketcher tone-ups; I braved the cold and half ran half jogged all the way to my work and back.

Apparently its a good idea to wear a scarf over your mouth to avoid what my friend Adam calls "bloody lungs". Now, I'm not a doctor, or an athlete really... by any stretch of the imagination. But I'm pretty sure that that is not really what its called. LOL

Today, along with a little bit of a cough from my evening jaunt, I woke with a lovely UP feeling. I credit a combination of positive thinking and working out last night with this uplift.

I think this whole "thinking up" idea is good, actually... because there is an amazing power in the human mind to trick itself into certain behaviors. So, here's to the power of the mind, right? Hurray!

Progress... exciting? Hmm...

"Set aside a few minutes every day to say aloud such words as 'exciting,' 'dynamic,' 'marvelous,' 'fabulous,' 'terrific.'
-December 28th, "Positive Thinking Every Day" by Norman Vincent Peale

The biggest hurdle in changing your mindset has to be the repetition... just the blinding monotony of same thoughts until you really believe the stuff you're saying to yourself.

In case you're wondering, I'm trying to change my attitude toward my life. I'm excited about this, actually. Its a terrific idea and I'm feeling marvelous... LOL Well, I'm trying...

Today I rescheduled my test for January 11th in Aurora. So that should be interesting. Could be fabulous, right? It has the potential to be dynamically marvelous in a terrific way, actually. :D

The only hitch in this amazing and wonderful and (this time) life-changing experience is that I have to re-learn a lot of criteria and re-do my kit. *shrugs* such is life.

I think the biggest thing that I really need to keep in mind is that no matter what happens. NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS...

my friends and family will still love me.

They don't care if I'm super successful or stuck in a dead-end job. Its all going to be alright. Maybe I won't do what I had set out to do in the first place... but you know what? I'm going to be alright. One way or the other.

Perspective on Failing (first attempt)

"Never react emotionally to what happens but always look for and find in every circumstance the good that's surely present there."

Wow... wish I had known that earlier today. I feel that I handled myself very well, all things considered.

Granted, I was failed on my first attempt at taking my Colorado State Boards Practical examination.

Yes, I was failed on a technicality. Officially, the reason given was that my "sections were uneven".

Literally, any item on the test not fulfilled is grounds for automatic failure of the test.

Okay, I'll admit that I'm not happy in the least about the situation. Most likely I'll have to either

A: beg, borrow, steal and whatever else to get a test date before the end of the year(I'm not holding my breath on that one.*grins*)

or B: Relearn all of the criteria so that I can take the test using the all-new rules for 2011(which also means that I'll have to redo my kit before testing as well, and possibly go in for some training at school for it.)

Either way, I'm trying to look to the positive side. Ya know, it could be that this is all for the best. As someone quite wise told me today, "who knows, you might just look back when you're seventy and realize that it was all for a reason.". Jill, I sure hope you're right!

In the meantime,
...it was good that I tested in Greeley because I got to reminisce for a while before the test of when I went to school at UNCO.

...it was good that I had a chance to see how the test worked and what the facilities are like. (Including the heating and air conditioning. That room was quite warm... then again, I was really nervous too.)

...it was good that after the test, I got to hang out with Megan, who I rarely get to see. We had a lovely dinner and then proceeded to eat every sugary thing we could think of... it was wonderful.

...it was amazingly good to see how truely blessed with people who care about me that I am! So many people have called or emailed or texted or a combination therof about my attempt today that I was almost brought to tears of joy. How great is it to know that even in the darkest hour, you still have so many people who care?

Sunday Update...

The fun part of working and going to school is that there is an amazing variety of experiences every week.

This week at work, we were informed that it was almost official that our store's manager's bosses boss was going to be visiting and inspecting the store. Needless to say, we were put to work in getting the store up to snuff.

Unfortunately, by the end of the day on Monday we hadn't quite finished up some key elements like cleaning the restrooms and stocking all of the paper that we'd just had delivered. I took it on myself to do those couple of things that I could after my shift was supposed to end and ended up staying about two and a half hours late.

We didn't end up getting our inspection, but for a few days the store looked quite nice, which was fun. The bad part was that I ended up starting the week on a bad foot: I was exhausted at the start... :P

Tuesday night at school was quiet and relaxed, but with all of the stress at work, I was having some trouble concentrating and ended up pacing between bouts of bookwork. We also received our progress reports for our hours and I'm happy to report that I'm officially at 1352 hours, which means that in two weeks I'll be able to start our baby boards program at Longs Peak Academy.

"Baby Boards" is a training that we have for our Colorado State Board Licensure practical testing. I already have quite a few of the elements, and my friend's have already given me some tips on how to put the kit together that make it easier and a little less expensive.

Wednesday was fun... busybusybusy fun... LOL I had three color services(one was my Mom, one was a regular who had never had color from me before, and one was a color correction), a Salt Glow body treatment, and a Microdermabrasion(3 areas: face, neck and decollete). Having those last three Microderms means that I've officially finished up my requirements for my Microdermabrasion certification, so upon graduation I can do them at any facility that offers them. Hurray!

Actually, here's a lovely before and after of my regular customer:
Before:

and After:


Thursday at work was exhausting, both mentally and physically. We had a "surprise" visit from our manager's boss that involved lots of walking around the store and "trying to give the customer the BEST experience possible" and many other similarly "enthusiastic" and "helpful" suggestions. By the end of the day, I was too tired to think, let alone be "enthusiastic" about work.

School went well, quiet but well... which was good, considering my state of mind and body. That night, after school, I was so wiped out that I decided to call out sick to recuperate. It turned into a lovely day: restful, nourishing to the soul and productive. A wonderful day off on all counts.

Saturday was the busiest that I've had in some time, but it turned out very well on all accounts. Four haircuts, a Salt Glow, two shampoo sets, and I tweezed the dark hairs from a lovely older lady's chin.

Here is another lovely color job from a few weeks ago:

Dance it off!

When I get really busy, and the thought of going on my bike or jogging through the neighborhood seems out of the question, I workout at home.

A new workout that I really enjoy a great deal is to download my favorite dance hits and I dance it up in my bathroom while I'm doing my evening beauty regimen.

Takes me about 5-6 songs to get ready for bed, and I feel both sexy and invigorated by the time I'm done.

Some of my favorites:

Muse "Supermassive Black Hole"

La Roux "Bulletproof"

Rhianna "Disturbia"

Metric "Gold Guns Girls"

Enjoy!

Diversity in Arts...

As a professional in any artistic industry, one of the most common concerns is finding a way to keep things fresh. Fresh for you, and fresh for your clientel.

If you're working at the same thing day in and day out, how do you prevent burnout?

The gurus will say "simplify", but as one of those busybusybusy types, I find that I can't relax each and every night. I have to be doing something, even if its as 'simple' as knitting or cleaning or whatever.

I propose a different tactic:

Break it up... Instead of working five days a week doing the same thing every day, work two days on project A, two days on project B, and one day on project C (or project A again).

This not only keeps things fresh, it allows for things to inspire you in other ways. For example: if project A is a venue such as hairdressing, make sure that project B is in a different arena. If you're a Cosmetologist, perhaps project B would be skin or nail services and project C would be a day of only waxing services.

If you're an illustrative artist who also does music; project A could be the paying job, project B could be music only, and project C could be exploring a new medium (like sculpture or photography and not meant to directly benefit either project A or B, it would have to be unrelated).

The tricky part in this is that the artists brain can become overloaded in any of these arenas. If that becomes the case, a break from one of the three projects could fix that problem. Take that time for relaxing activities like leisurly bike riding or shopping for a new book.

The same tactic could also work for job burn-out. (I do this myself, actually.):
Job A Mon, Tues, Thurs, and Fri; School Wednesday and Saturday(morning to early afternoon); then, when they need me, I work at Job B on Saturday night.

This helps keep things fresh for me, and helps me to keep inspiration flowing for the times when I need a little more help.

Hope this helps!

Oil Slicks and Extra Hair

Get involved, ask your hairdresser how!

I subscribe to a daily email from www.behindthechair.com and was surprised today to get an email featuring such an incredible idea.

Here's what I received:

"

Help Wanted!

According to Matter of Trust, last year over 2,600 oil spills occurred around the world, and while they all aren’t high profile, each can have a devastating impact on the environment. All reports indicate that the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill will be the worst in history, far exceeding the damage sustained in the Exxon Valdez case nearly 20 years ago.
Spewing nearly 200,000 gallons of oil into the water each day, the spill is threatening hundreds of species of fish, birds and other wildlife along the Gulf Coast. The salon community is never one to sit back and watch devastation like this occur.
So what can you do to help? Donate your hair clippings to organizations like Matter of Trust! They collect clippings, sort them and ship the fibers off to needlepunch factories to make hairmats to use for oil spill relief. These mats help soak up oil from animal fur and coastlines.
Matter of Trust also creates booms from loose hair that is stuffed into nylon stockings which are tied together to surround and soak up oil (as seen above). There are over 300,000 hair salons in the United States, and each salon cuts an average of one pound of hair per day.
Please don’t throw the clippings away. Instead, set aside a designated box in the salon to gather (clean, debris-free) hair, then contact Matter of Trust right away to get involved. They’ll take all the help they can get! Click here to learn more and to see how you can help."

Who knows? Your hair could save any number of creatures!

Bright blessings!

Relaxation

When I wrote that last post, it hadn't yet occurred to me how small a part relaxation has in my own life. Granted, through light meditation before bedtime, I'm able to sleep no matter my stress load or state of relaxation. But its not a natural relaxation, which is what I had in mind from that previous post.

Relaxation is generally considered as a state free of stress. Both the Eu-stress, which is considered positive stress, and the more common Stress, which is considered negative. Note that it does not say "free from stressors."

Stress is one of the epidemics of our age, and as such, is often blamed for any host of illnesses and ailments. Basically, everything from chronic knee pain to kidney stones to migraines.

In a society such as ours, the elimination of stress altogether is not an option. If you leave your cell phone off, an ailing loved one might not be able to get a hold of you. If you don't check your email, you won't have to sift through spam, but the big presentation from your boss will not be given to you.

How do you get around this? Lately, Sean and I have been reading a series of books from a man named Seth Godin. The latest book in his series is called "Lynchpin". It is basically a way of thinking and behaving so that instead of being a cog in the machine, you are in fact the lynchpin holding everything in place.

This is not to say that all the blame for the things that go wrong will be your fault. No no no... it means that though you might be replaceable, you are indispensable. And therefore, the powers from above will not want to replace you.

What does this have to do with Relaxation?

I'm getting there, don't worry! In the chapter I'm reading, he talks about finishing things. Its not that progress is bad, or long term projects either. But, think about it: if something is done, do you stress about it? No. Period.

Mistakes, failures, cutting loses... those are all finished. Done. Moving on from a project that has failed is not reprehensible, in fact, it could be considered admirable. If you realize that hitting a nail with your hand is futile and dangerous, do you keep doing it, or do you go out and get a hammer? You would go out and get a hammer. Or maybe, you have a friend who has a hammer and would be willing to help you!

Pride often doesn't let us let go of our woes. But it is that stubborn pride that sets us up for an even bigger fall, or quite possibly for a nail in your hand(I've done that, it really hurts).

One of the simplest things that I've realized is that if something is bothering me to the point where I can't sleep, I ask myself a few questions about it.

1. Can I really do anything about it right now?
2. Will getting up and fixing it make a difference tonight?
3. Does anyone other than me care about this issue?
4. Could it actually wait till the morning without causing more damage?

Generally, the first question and some light meditation are all I need to fall fast asleep.

The importance of Sleep

I've talked a lot about supplements, natural aides and similar things that will help a person be healthy.

But the fact of the matter is, that unless someone is getting adequate amounts of sleep, all the supplements in the world won't do you any good.

Here are some ways to tell if you're sleeping enough:

When you wake up:

1. You can see clearly.
Generally within 5 minutes of getting up, the excess fluids from in and around your eyes should clear and your vision returns to normal. Ever wonder why your eyes water or you have to blow your nose right when you get up? This is from the fluid that collects around your eyeballs during sleep. It circulates during sleep cycles to clean the area of debris and detritus that you accumulate during waking hours(Sand). It also cleans off the excess protein that accumulates on your eyeballs. Your skin sloughs constantly throughout the day through normal skin regeneration, but so too do the cells on your eyes. Except that they have nowhere to go, so they get cleaned during sleep.
(There are also very small organisms that you're born with that live off of the dead cells on your eyes, everyone has them, but you don't want to hear about that.)

2. Higher brain function.
I'm not saying that if you get enough sleep that you'll be a candidate for MENSA, but studies have shown that if you get enough sleep(and eat right, workout, etc) that your brain functions better. The theory is that seratonin, which is secreated by the glands in your brain produce during active dreaming, effectively clears your mind to aid in high brain function.
Basically, its much like rebooting your computer. When you reboot, the RAM memory in your computer is cleared away and the computer runs faster because it has that active memory for use.

Through the day:

1. This should be a 'duh' sort of thing, but grogginess. Banishment of grogginess is a very telling factor of whether or not you're getting quality sleep. Quantity is all well and good, but if the quality of sleep is poor, then all the sleep in the world won't help you.

2. Lack-luster nutrition. Vitamins (such as A, B, C, etc) are absorbed and distributed throughout the body through water and can be taken any time through the day. Minerals, on the other hand, are digested through fat and are best taken before bed. The reason for bedtime? Simple. Fat reserves are slow moving and require extra energy to process. The simple act of digesting minerals takes longer because of the required fat in the small intestine and liver for distribution to the cells.
Ever wonder why skinny women have such poor bone density? Its a combination of lack of stress(weird, I know) on their muscles and bones, and a lack of calcium absorption. They can't process Calcium and other minerals as effectively because they don't have enough fat to process them. If a doctor tells you to drink whole milk, its not because he wants to make you overweight. The fats in the milk with help you absorb the Calcium.

3. Healthier skin.
Much of the cleansers and creams on the market right now won't do you any good if you're not getting enough sleep. Here's the deal: Cleansers clean your face. Moisturizers help to keep it hydrated.
The bad news? Moisturizers are formulated in such a way that they keep moisture IN. The title is a little misleading in that it sounds like its the thing hydrating your face in the first place. Its not. Your skin receives most of its hydration through your circulatory system(ie your blood). The waste products that each cell produces is then taken away mostly through a system called Lymph. If the toxic waste is not cleared by your Lymph, which occurs during sleep or restful periods when you are laying down, they your skin looks dull and dry. No amount of moisturizer in the world can counteract that.
Also, moist skin absorbs nutrients more readily, making it healthier inside and out.

Hope this helps you choose sleep...

Next time's topic: Relaxation techniques!

Water

Every day, especially in Colorado, it is recommended that you drink around three tenths of your body weight in water everyday.

Meaning, if a person weights 140 then they should drink 32 ounces of water. This works out to about four small(8oz) glasses.

This means that everyday I have to drink around 50 ounces of water. That is a Nalgene (32 ounces) plus a little more than two small glasses (18 ounces).

Between working out and drinking all this water, you'd think I would feel more energized and all that fun, right? Well, sorta. Mostly I'm just hungry.

Speaking of which, time to start breakfast!

New Hair

As with many things in life, the simplest things are often the sweetest and most overlooked.

The pleasure of newly colored hair is one of those simple things that I treasure in life. As a treat of sorts for bicycling to work yesturday, I decided to take the opportunity of having the house to myself to color my hair.

Granted, its basically a retouch of the exciting color scheme that I have had for about two-three months now, but I enjoy it quite a bit.

Here's are two rough pictures of the pattern I used:

The Pink is 5RV (Medium Brown-Red-Violet) and the Yellow is 9G (Light Golden Blond)

Monday Monday Monday

I like to try and start Mondays with a bit of an affirmation.

This weeks affirmation is "I will make this week healthier than last week"

I am riding my bike to work, have already logged my food for the day and checked my emails. So things are going well so far.

I will be starting hair coloring in school tomorrow, and a website project tonight.

Ah, Monday... you're not Sunday, so I have to go back to work... but I'll make the best of you.

Happy Monday Everyone!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year all!

In celebration of the first day of the new year, or more probably just my having a day off, Sean and I went for a drive around town. During the drive we talked and enjoyed the scenery and each others company. The quiet time also gave me the opportunity to think about my New Year's resolutions.

Perhaps the New Year resolution is not something that we resolve but something that we strive for in ourselves. The idea of losing ten pounds... why? Because that ten pounds is a symbol for greater self-confidence and empowerment to do the things that we might have been afraid to do. It gives us the strength to do those things that we didn't do because we were hiding behind that ten pounds.

So this year? I'm resolving to be confident in myself and to not be afraid of challenges. The ten pounds I still want to lose, that hasn't changed. But my motivations have definitely received an upgrade.

Don't let you get in your own way! If you want something, get off your butt and do it!

Good Luck!